Firewood for camping?

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RAS323

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There is a state park up the road from me. I've been thinking about selling firewood for the campers.

So for those of you who do this-
How much wood do you put in a bundle?
How big do you split the wood (some small, some big)?
How do you put a bundle together (twine, wire or cellophane)?
Price?

Thanks for your help!:cheers:
 
The bundles I have seen were 1.0 cubic feet as per the label. It looked like shredded Elm and some Cottonwood. They measured 12 " dia. and cut to 14" lengths. I dont remember seeing anything bigger than 3" through the condensation inside the shrinkwrap.

Smaller pieces makes it look like more wood.
 
Here is how I am doin' them!

3/4 cu-ft more or less. Usually more.... Why cheat them??

I use a 5 gallon bucket, and jam everything I can in there, split kinda smallish.
Then I slide the bucket 1/2 off, and you might get another stick in there.
Then I wrap the exposed end with shrink wrap. Yank the bucket off, and wrap the other end. Done deal. Local price is about $3.75

-Pat
 
We're selling oak bundles that measure approx. 3/4cf. Usually 3 small pieces and 3 medium pieces. I built a cradle that supports the wood on each end, just stack the pieces in the cradle and go around it with stretch wrap. We also staple a length of bailer twine on it for a handle. Wholesale price here is $3. Retailers are charging $4.99-$6.99.
 
I don't bundle myself but know Patrick's suggestion is a good one - the 5 gallon bucket.

If I were a bundler, I'd scratch my brain to recall if any friends or acquaintances were in the warehouse/distribution business. When I was working at one of these places as a teenager, I had access to these industrial-sized rolls of shrinkwrap to stabilize palletized boxes ready for shipment. Great stuff.
 
Just a thought

I was thinking if I ever sold wood near a campground I'd sell it by the piece.
People could buy as little or as much as they wanted and it'd save the hassle of having to bundle it.
 
Fellow near me gets slab wood from a saw mill by the trailer load. Uses his tractor and buzz rig to cut it, kids stack in in a rack off the saw then it get a couple quick warp of shrink wrap they were buying at Lowe's. Gets transfured to a pick up bed and every evening around 5:00 PM they drive thru the 74 unit camp ground parking in a few wide spots to sell.
A bundle is a good arm load and cost $6.00.
Normally sell 100 bundles per day.

:D Al
 
Wish I lived near a campground. Money to be made right there!

Yes, 1 cubic foot per bundle. I also use a 5 gallon bucket, but mine is a bit wider than the normal bucket and I cut off the bottom. I flip it upside down, put a mesh bag over it, flip it back upright, and fill with splits. When full, I slide out the bucket, jam in more splits in the middle until it's completely full, and she's ready to go. Mesh bags are quite cheap and easy to carry, and I use silver maple for the wood.
Why 'junk wood' for bundles? Well, I figured people aren't really looking for heat wood - they want ambiance in their fireplace, or for roasting marshmallows in the back yard. Silver maple is plentiful, splits easy, dries quickly, and burns well.

I sell for $4, and the gas station and hardware store (I only have two) sell for $6.
My kids and I can crank out 40 bundles in an hour. A week of that and I have all I need for the year. This year we're trying a different technique. Everything is split and ready, but we're going to do the bundling as needed. Right now I need to go do 10 bundles for the gas station.
 
The USFS campground is about 3 miles from where I live. They sell bundled wood at $9 for 5 small pieces. The State run campground is about 20 miles away which is equal to 50 minutes of driving. I have tried several types of marketing for these two places, but have not come up with a sure fire method yet. When I have plenty of scrap I try to promote sales. Many folks really like a good pickup load for $75 or $100 for a typical weekend. They usually come in late and want wood. Some times I have scrap Pine and Fir that I just want to get rid of. I have bundled Pine and hardwoods too. The weekend warriors just want some thing that smokes with some flame. Most could care less about the money. The state park people sell about a .75 cf for $9 which will burn less than 15 minutes. So spending a $100 is no big deal. The camp ground folks tell every one that if they bring wood in that the climate will collapse. The wood they sell comes from hundreds of miles away as my wood really is local. Thanks
 
there is a tree service guy by me(near a campground) $20 wheelbarrow. state parks were getting fussy about people bringing firewood in because of ash borer. not sure if they gave up on it since its everywhere now anyway.
 
I use stretch wrap (basically heavy duty Seran wrap) on a bundle wrapper.

Fill bulk bags off the processor and let it season, then bring bags in the shop and make bundles.

We do 1 cu ft bundles and they are available 24/7.

It doesn't make a killing, but every bit counts. Did around 25 cords in bundles last year.

I supply a few campgrounds, I deliver if they buy at least 100.

The grocery chain had inquired about buying from me, but in the end it didnt work out. Was a headache with all of their "systems" and wanting 2 million insurance, paying $500 for a bar code, etc.
They sell around 60,000 .75 cu ft bundles a year statewide.
 
Here is how I am doin' them!

3/4 cu-ft more or less. Usually more.... Why cheat them??

I use a 5 gallon bucket, and jam everything I can in there, split kinda smallish.
Then I slide the bucket 1/2 off, and you might get another stick in there.
Then I wrap the exposed end with shrink wrap. Yank the bucket off, and wrap the other end. Done deal. Local price is about $3.75

-Pat

good for you! :)

sounds like a good deal for a camper. and a lot of work for you for $3.75. does it work well for you from your point of view, ie... the cutting, hauling, splitting, packing, wraping, reselling? any commissions u have to pay out?...
 
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